When defending your pharmacist’s license, you may believe that a pharmacy board lawyer, usually referred to as a “licensure lawyer,” will be necessary only if you disagree with the Oregon Board of Pharmacy’s conclusions at the end of its investigation, but that belief would be mistaken. The prudent course of action is to engage the Pharmacy Board’s investigation from the start, guided by an experienced pharmacy board lawyer (licensure counsel), one that is capable of presenting a thoughtful pharmacist’s license defense.

Here’s why:

Most often, tentative conclusions about your practice are reached by the pharmacy inspectors during the early phases of the investigation, especially after your tape recorded interview, and well before an administrative hearing. Indeed, once your tape recorded interview is over, and certainly after the inspector’s findings have been presented to the Pharmacy Board for decision, your opportunity to influence the Board’s decision is behind you. If the Oregon Board of Pharmacy votes to impose stiff disciplinary action, your remaining choices are often akin to (a) damage repair, (b) accepting an unfavorable settlement, or (b) preparing for an expensive and risky administrative hearing. These are not good choices, and a skilled pharmacist’s license defense might have avoided some of this bad outcome. Although an experienced pharmacy board lawyer can still help you at this late stage, it is far more prudent to retain an experienced pharmacy board lawyer at the beginning of the investigation, to work to avoid a bad outcome in the first place.

Work early and hard for the best possible outcome

Understandably, no one wants to be disciplined by their licensing Board. Your best chance to avoid or mitigate professional discipline is to work directly with an experienced pharmacy board lawyer, one that is knowledgeable of the applicable law and practice standards of concern to the Board of Pharmacy. Do not wait to secure competent pharmacy board lawyer, and do not wait to become involved in your investigation. A good result, and a thoughtful pharmacist’s license defense, will require early planning and early action, to avoid common mistakes, and to influence the decision-making before it become final, all necessary to protect your pharmacist’s license and your practice.